| 12-03-2008
What is the WAAF? - PUBLICATIONS - Anatoli S. Kulikov and Patrick J. Head "World Forum Designed To Combat International Crime, Corruption"
World Forum Designed To Combat International Crime, Corruption
General Anatoli S. Kulikov and Patrick J. Head
The last decade of the twentieth century was marked in most countries of the world with a rising wave of terrorist acts, increase in the area of influence of the international drug forces, globalization and attenuation of economic extremism, transnational unification of the criminal community. These events have increased the importance of establishing a world stage to unify the efforts in combating threats, such as, the dissemination of hi-tech weaponry; international terrorism; transnational organized crime, all threats to the orderly development of countries and regions of the world.
In addition to these main threats, the last decade was also characterized by wide-spread unauthorized access to computer networks, weapons trafficking, money laundering, illegal immigration and child trade, corruption and financial fraud, credit card fraud and industrial espionage, intellectual property theft and prostitution. Even this does not cover all the range of crimes which the world faces now. The threat to world society also comes from organized crime attempts to take over nuclear weaponry, chemical and psychotropic weapons. The crime experts forecast that in the near future a target for organized crime may also be trafficking in cloned organs, genetically engineered babies, near-extinct flora and fauna, as well as illegal activities involving toxic wastes.
These threats have become even more subtle and dangerous due to the trend of unification and cooperation among the crime groups of different countries. Recently, however, governments have realized the need for decisive action in the fight against international crime. For example, in the U.S. the fight with global crime is addressed by a special presidential order, to start a review of national legislation, work on improving the efficiency of the law enforcement authorities and the establishment of close relations with law enforcement agencies of other countries. An important result of this work is the development in 1998 of the National Strategy of the Fight against International Crime, where for the first time in the history of the country this effort was made government policy.
The Russian Ministry of Interior and the FSB, as well as the Prosecutor General's office and other agencies have also established special divisions which are cooperating with the authorities of other countries. On the level of the Interior Ministry, Russia has signed a treaty with over 25 countries, not counting the CIS countries. Russia has a comparable number of treaties on anti-crime cooperation. Among the partners of Russia in this action are the U.S., Sweden, Turkey, Finland, Israel, UK, Egypt, Norway, Hungary and some other countries. These treaties cover the exchange of criminals, information, prevention of capital flight and anti-terrorist activities.
These interactions, however, are on a very small scale. Russia is yet to join the most important international conventions, such as the Strasbourg Convention on money laundering and the Anti-Corruption Convention.
The idea behind the World Anti-Crime and Anti-Corruption Forum is based on the model of the Davos World Economic Forum, where the world business leaders and top economists gather annually to formulate strategy for resolving world economic problems. The World Anti-Crime and Anti-Corruption Forum is created along the lines of an "Anti-Crime" Davos. Its target is to unify law enforcement professionals, academics, politicians and business people and to provide center forces who regularly undertake anti-criminal actions, i.e. it unites the efforts in coordinating all interested parties, governments and law enforcement agencies.
At this Forum the professionals can discuss joint problems together at the highest possible level. The idea for the Forum has received the backing of top level professionals, such as Louis Freeh, Director, FBI, Christian Prutto, the French General, Brigadier-General Johan Pechter, Austria, the former Security Minster of Israel, Agvidor Kahalani.
Such an approach allows for unique opportunities to work in an informal setting, which will overcome hurdles of protocol, diplomacy, politics and secrecy, which always appear in the course of developing and implementing a viable anti-criminal strategy on official inter-govemmental levels, as well as on the level of existing multilateral international organizations. As a public organization, the Forum will attract the attention of the executive powers in various countries to the problems of international organized crime and the need to fight against it. As part of its activities the Forum can target the following most prominent types of international organized crime: drug trafficking and distribution; illegal arms trade; sales and distribution of goods and technologies of "dual" purpose, in particular those related to nuclear weaponry; money laundering; financial fraud on an international level; terrorism in all its forms; computer hacking, including in banking institutions; grey economy and illegal activities in show-business and media.
This gathering of world class experts can discuss the most pressing problems of the fight against the criminal community. Reports will be presented on the condition of, and measures for, the fight against crime, on the trends towards unification of the international law enforcement community, on the global dangers to humanity from new technologies falling in the hands of criminal types, analyses on the development and trends thereof in the international criminal community. It can broadcast the main directions of the anti-crime policies of specific countries, develop complex coordinate plans for action against organized crime, and facilitate the creation of new data bases, capable of covering countries and continents. Participation in the forum can unify the efforts of leading academics, experts and operatives in the fight against transnational crime; develop recommendations to governments and their agencies, businesses and financial communities on the fight with organized crime and preventive measures; conduct the required scientific and operative work in order to unify the legislation of the majority of world countries with regards to organized crime and human rights.
The Forum has already started work, and the first organizational meetings have taken place in Russia, Germany and the U.S. An organizational committee has been set up. In March in the U.S. was held the First Session of the International Steering Committee. The target for the plenary Work Session is the end of 2001.
General Anatoli S. Kulikov is Former Minister of Interior of Russian Federation. He is currently a member of the Russian State Duma and Chairman, World Anti-Crime and Anti-Corruption Forum. Patrick J. Head is the Chairman of Corporate Counsel Institute, Georgetown University Law Center and Chairman of the Organizing Committee, World Anti-Crime and Anti-Corruption Forum
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